Kids for Cash Judicial Corruption, JLC Update - Conspiracy of Silence Continues in Pennsylvania

Jan 26, 2011 Update, Pa Kids for Cash Scandal: 2 Years After Judges Arrested by Feds in $3 Million Scheme, still no reform to protect the children from further abuses of corruption. Juvenile Law Center Series on Reform in the Wake of Luzerne County Kids for Cash Scandal. On Jan 25th, 2009, two Luzerne County, Pennsylvania judges - including Mark Ciavarella, the county's juvenile court judge - were indicted on federal charges of accepting $2.9 million in kickbacks in exchange for using the juvenile court process to send thousands of youth to private, for-profit juvenile detention centers, often for very minor violations.
Over half of the children who appeared before Ciavarella did not have an attorney; 50-60% of these unrepresented children were placed outside their homes.
JLC since obtained justice for the thousands of youth involved in the scandal by successfully petitioning the PA Supreme Court to vacate and clear their records. But what changes have been made in the juvenile justice system in the past 2 years to prevent these injustices from occurring and to ensure that a scandal like this never happens again? Not many.
In JLC's "Reform in the Wake of Luzerne" series, the structural issues in the juvenile justice system that allowed this scandal to occur and the reforms - like guaranteeing access to counsel - that still need to be put in place to protect youth and to prevent such scandals from happening again are examined.
Juvenile Law Center - http://www.jlc.org/

Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice Final Report May 2010 http://www.courts.state.pa.us/NR/rdonlyres/6A64EA29-B7FD-4468-8CD1-075548469E...

Record of Commission's Hearings
http://www.pacourts.us/Links/Public/InterbranchCommissionJuvenileJustice.htm

New Study Shows Lack of Effective Legal Representation Harms Children; More work is needed for child legal advocates to be in compliance with state law. Nov 2010, http://www.jlc.org/news/assessing_quality_report/

Judicial Conduct Board Complaints. Aug 2010. The ineffectiveness of the state Judicial Conduct Board, an arm of the Supreme Court that handles complaints against judges, is one of the lingering issues from the juvenile court scandal. The state noncriminal investigation into the court system, following the federal criminal indictments of former Judges Conahan + Ciavarella, revealed that the JCB received 40 complaints against the two former judges - a number far higher than the statewide average for common pleas judges. The board did not take disciplinary action as a result of any of those complaints. http://thetimes-tribune.com/opinion/open-records-in-court-scandal-1.96 9895

In re Gault, 387 U.S. 1 (1967). Landmark Supreme Court decision which established that under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, juveniles accused of crimes in a delinquency proceeding must be afforded many of the same due process rights as adults such as the right to timely notification of charges, the right to confront witnesses, the right against self-incrimination, + the right to counsel.

Included on this Video -
PT 1: The Makings of a Scandal focuses on the back story of the scandal and features a teenage victim who spoke up and brought the scandal to light; and interviews with Hillary Transue, a former Luzerne County youth and victim of the scandal; Marsha Levick, deputy director and chief legal counsel of Juvenile Law Center; and Lourdes Rosado, associate director of JLC.
PT 2: The Need for Reform, released on the 2nd anniversary of the federal indictments of the two judges, JLC examines juvenile justice reform recommendations that were an outgrowth of the scandal, along with the status of those efforts 2 yrs later. JLC speaks w the Hon. John M. Cleland, chair of the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice, about the recommendations the Commission issued last May, as well as with staff attorney Riya Saha Shah about JLC's ongoing role in reform efforts and the impact of this case on juvenile justice systems nationwide.


Feb 13, 2011. In the Luzerne scandal trial, a lawyer and his staffer told about cramming $100s and $50s into a box and cursing.
When Jill Moran went to work for Robert Powell's law firm, she never thought her career as an attorney would come down to this dismaying moment: watching in shock as Powell, cursing and muttering, stuffed wads of cash into a FedEx box that he wanted her to hand-deliver to the president judge of Luzerne County.
"These greedy [expletives] won't let me go," Powell said, his hands full of $100 and $50 bills. "Take this to them, and hopefully it will be over." http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20110213_Ordeal_of_getting_2_judges_t...

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Eugenics in America Began in Bedford, PA
http://robertscourt.blogspot.com/2009/03/eugenics-in-america-began-in-bedford...
and http://bedfordsprings.blogspot.com/

Posted pursuant to U.S.C. Title 17 Ch 1 Sec 107 Fair Use

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• DCYF
• DHS
• CPS
• Luzerne County
• Wilkes-Barre
• Scranton
• Pennsylvania
• Juvenile Law Center
• Mark Ciavarella
• Michael Conahan
• juvenile court
• family court
• judicial corruption
• child abuse
• child trafficking
• juvenile justice
• Judicial Conduct Board
• In re Gault
• civil rights
• Robert Powell
• Mid-Atlantic Youth Services
• PA Child Care
• Mericle
• Florida
• Pinnacle Group of Jupiter
• Pittsburgh
• Massachusetts
• Conspiracy of Silence
• Ciavarella
• Conahan

[mamasuntwinkle]

Sandy Fonzo, mother of Edward Kenzakoski III, created tee shirts to wear to ex-judge Mark Ciavarella's sentencing on Thur Aug 11. Fonzo's son committed suicide after going in front of Ciavarella and being put in jail for a minor offense. Fonzo handed out the tee shirts on Monday evening, August 8 to friends and family who will be at the sentencing to support Fonzo and other parents. Ciavarella will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Edwin Kosik.

YT timesleadervideo - /watch?v=zxxtxb6dB_c

[mamasuntwinkle]

Feb 18, 2011. PA Juvy Judge Ciavarella JURY VERDICT. GUILTY 12 of 39 counts

thetimes-tribune + timesleader (dot com)

Timesleader - Jury found Mark Ciavarella GUILTY 12/39 counts, incl racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, honest services mail fraud + Conspiracy to defraud U.S. + filing false tax returns, Not Guilty on extortion + bribery charges

[LarryHohol]

I am a Luzerne County native and I am here to tell you the corruption goes all the way to Harrisburg. Does anyone know that the for profit Juvenile Jail at the center of this scandal was half owned by the son of retired Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Zappala. Since his partner (Attorney Powell) has been arrested Zappala now owns 100% of the jail.

[mamasuntwinkle]

@LarryHohol - As of 2005 PA is dead center CESSPIT (See Hershey videos + info). It reaches Harrisburg, State College, Pittsburgh, Philly, York County, and beyond including Baltimore, DE, NJ, etc. Kiddies, drugs, murder, missing prosecutors, ad naseau.

Like this case, "Kids for Cash" goes to the top. Only alternative media and investigative reporters get to the core - Juvenile Justice System Sex Scandal, Texas + Fed Officials Covered Up Pedophile Ring

/watch?v=rbCOH3bYK6g

[LarryHohol]

The Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board had a detailed complaint concerning this very matter in their possession 3 full years before the FBI arrested these judges. By sheer coincidence, I’m sure; the JCB not only failed to investigate these serious allegations as required by their own rules but in-fact permanently removed the judge from the bench that they suspected of providing all of the details in this very complaint. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court alsofailed miserably. Larry Hohol, Author

[mamasuntwinkle]

@LarryHohol - Indeed Larry. "The Luzerne County Railroad". Sex, Bribery, Drugs and Legislatively Protected Power That the Mob Could Only Dream of Having! "In Your Face Judicial Corruption"

theluzernecountyrailroad (dot) com

This would fit just about any court, nationwide. There is sooooo much more being covered up in this. It reaches Florida, other states, top PA officials, possibly Hershey and out of state golfing partners, and also possibly the channel islands scandal.

[westchesterny]

One thread in the cases is de-industrialized areas, coupled with big federalized money and people-warhousing businesses. Similar to all the "Straight Inc" and other drug-lock-ups in the 80s, especially around NJ/NY. Many regular kids "diagnosed" and sent away, for as it turned out really abusive treatment (forced to crawl around with tape over their mouths, etc.), and for years. They have groups for the survivors of that, I think

[Debba99]

This is problem ALL over the country.... with RACKETS operating out of the family court AND Juvenile Injustice systems... the Judge is a POLITICAL PARTY Government attorney the KING/QUEEN of the RACKET...the Child's lawyer and the court QUACK are PAID CASH by the Queen/King's ORDER and his/her court quack and child's lawyer kickback the King/Queen's CUT. the court lawyers get their FEEDS and ALLOW the child's lawyer and court QUACK SPEAK FOR THE CHILD

[skywalker72465]

This is corruption at its best,always innocents pay the price,but do not fear,their days are numbered,they aren't getting away this time,they hide behind the coward Rothschild,Rockefeller,worms and their national media,the coming revolution will make 1776 look like a family reunion!We will win praise God!

[gjc82071]

The time has come for the public to not humbly/meekly request/ask for, but outright DEMAND without compromise, that judges/prosecutors be stripped of their blanket immunity. Until such time as our "employees"/public SERVANTS implement/carry out OUR orders, boycott the entire system of current injustice. Barring that, form an organization titled "The O.E.I.J.N." or "The Organization for the Education & Implementation of Jury Nullification". Research Jury "Nullification". It's a powerful tool.

[Tigsnocrapclub]

Watched the whole thing, shared!, Stop kids for cash at Luzerne County Children & Youth for federal grant money, Cash for kids is still alive and well, and we need to stop the illegal adoptions and removal of children, if you were a victim of CYS in Northeast PA contact Barry Dyller for legal help in suits against these criminals

[adrewk]

@badattitude77769 why is it ok to kill an adult male, but not a woman or child? code of honor? what a fucking joke you people live by.

[adrewk]

@MultiUniv3rsal the fact that children were involved is WAAAAAAAAY besides the point.

omg!!! the poor children, maybe now we should take a look at this whole corrupt system?

the fact that society frowns more upon child molesters than say adult serial killers is part of why this world is so fucked. the fact that an american jet fighter (bomber)can come back from iraq labeled a hero after killing hundreds of innocents is another reason humanity is so fucked.

"this is just as bad"? lol-cryin

[badattitude77769]

@MultiUniv3rsal Thank you! Most gangsters have a code of honor: "you do not harm the women and children"

These vermin parasites in suits are a total embarrassment to humanity.

[HatRatt]

Yes, like Washington where my son was charged for bring a knife to school... a kitchen steak knife in the bed of his pickup used for cleaning dirt out of the cracks of the bed..yet the auto was parked on the street, not on the school grounds then when the papers appeared in court the "dangerous weapon" charge was mysterously changed to "hand gun." There were so many children there with first time charges & parents as confused & embarassed as me. What a scam, dollars in the eyes of the judge.